QUINCY, Ill. – For the third straight game, the Quincy University baseball team delivered late-game heroics. Harry Fandre launched a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Hawks to a thrilling 10-9 victory over Truman State on Friday afternoon at QU Stadium in the opening game of conference play. The win marks Quincy's fourth straight overall victory and third consecutive walk-off, continuing a dramatic stretch for the Hawks.

Quincy wasted little time getting the offense going after a quiet opening frame. In the bottom of the second inning, Isaiah Fudge started the rally with a single before David Broughton doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Fandre delivered the first big blow of the afternoon, poking a double to left field that drove in both runners. Patrick Mendiola followed with an RBI single to center, giving the Hawks an early 3-0 lead.

The Hawks added to the advantage in the third inning. Joe Huffman singled, and Payton Mansfield followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Fudge lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Huffman, and Mansfield later scored on a wild pitch to push the Quincy lead to 5-0.

Truman State got on the board in the fourth with an RBI double from Shodai Nishihara, but Quincy answered again in the fifth when Broughton crushed a solo home run over the left center wall  for his third big fly of the season to extend the Hawks' lead to 6-1.

The Bulldogs responded with a big inning in the sixth, stringing together several hits and capitalizing on wild pitches to plate four runs and cut the Quincy lead to 6-5. Quincy quickly answered in the bottom half when Ben Dahlof doubled and later scored on a wild pitch, restoring a two-run cushion at 7-5.

Truman continued to battle back, adding a run in the seventh before a three-run eighth inning flipped the game in their favor and gave the Bulldogs a 9-7 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.

Once again, the Hawks found an answer. Huffman singled to keep the inning alive before Mansfield stepped to the plate and delivered a clutch moment, launching a two-run home run to left field to tie the game at 9-9 and send the contest into the ninth inning.

After Quincy reliever Jayson Shorb worked a scoreless top of the ninth, the Hawks wasted no time ending the game. Fandre stepped to the plate in the bottom of the inning and put one just over the left center wall for a walk-off home run, sealing the 10-9 victory and sending the Hawks home happy once again.

Offensively, Quincy pounded out 16 hits in the win. Fandre led the charge with a 3-for-4 performance, three RBIs, and the walk-off home run, marking his first three-hit game of the season and fourth multi-hit game. Dahlof also recorded three hits, marking his fourth game this season with at least three hits, while Huffman and Isaiah Fudge each collected two hits as both extended their hitting streaks to 10 games. Mansfield added two hits, including a game-tying two-run homer, extending his hitting streak to five games while recording a hit in every game he has started this season. Broughton finished with two hits, including his second home run of the season, and Mendiola contributed two hits as well.

On the mound, Roman Harrison started and tossed six innings, allowing five runs while striking out three. Logan Mueller followed in relief before Jayson Shorb earned his second win of the season, working the final two innings and limiting the Bulldogs to one run while striking out two.

With the win, the Hawks improve to 12-5 overall and open conference play with a dramatic victory. Quincy will be back in action tomorrow for games two and three of the series against Truman State, with the first pitch of game two scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at QU Stadium.